Test of metal rides its last lap
The Test of Metal was arguably the story of the year in sport.
In February, the community was surprised when organizers announced that 2016 would be the last year for the Test and its associated races 鈥� OreCrusher, GearJammer and Just Another Bike Race.
Test co-founder Cliff Miller explained that for many of the organizers the time had come to bring the race to an end after more than 20 years.
鈥淲e鈥檝e just been doing this for a long time,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were getting greyer and getting wrinklier.鈥�
When it came time for the final race in June, the 1,000 or so riders gathered at Brennan Park, while Miller, dressed in psychedelic colours and riding an electric bike, and a select group of Test supporters led the pack away from the start line.
When the race was over, local rider Quinn Moberg was the winner, as he dismounted to hoist his bike over his head and cross the finish line.听
Moberg had already won the OreCrusher and GearJammer races in the spring, but the win marked the first time he had won the Test. He had even skipped a couple of Canada Cup events prior to get ready.
鈥淚 decided not to go to those to be prepared for this,鈥� he said.听
Coquitlam鈥檚 Sandra Walter was the fastest finisher among the women with a time of 3:03:17.2 after getting a strong start with the front of the pack.
Any concerns about the end of locally organized mountain bike racing in town were allayed when rider and Just Another Bike Race co-director Dwayne Kress announced in November that he and others were launching a new race, the Spakwus 50 Marathon Mountain Bike Race and BC Provincial XCM Championships, as well as a couple of races in the spring leading up to the main event, which will take place in June on the traditional weekend for the Test of Metal.
鈥淐ertainly the Test of Metal spirit is very strong within the community,鈥� Kress said. 鈥淚鈥檝e encountered absolutely zero resistance.鈥澨�
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Quest changes its coaches听
Sean Shook was the only coach the Quest men鈥檚 basketball team had ever had and also served as the Kermodes鈥� athletic director.
In July, the university announced that Shook was leaving both his positions to take a new job as the assistant men鈥檚 basketball coach at Simon Fraser University.
At the same time, Craig Smith, the women鈥檚 soccer coach, was moving on to the University of British Columbia-Okanagan to become the interim coach for the Heat.
Shook moved to the only Canadian university that competes in the NCAA in the U.S., and said he was humbled by the opportunity to work with the Clan program.
Both Shook and Smith had guided their teams to bronzes in the PACWEST tournaments in 2015/16.
During the regular season, Shook led a Kermode team that set a school record with 19 wins and was fifth-ranked in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.
Meanwhile, Smith spent two seasons at Quest, where he led a high-scoring soccer program and earned a national ranking. The PACWEST also picked Smith as its coach of the year.听
At Quest鈥檚 athletic awards night in April, Shook said the university had made huge strides in its eight years of athletic competitions, growing from a fledgling program where wins were rare during the first four years to one that could compete on a national level.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excelling both on the field and off the field,鈥� Shook said.
By the fall, the university hired replacements for Shook and Smith. Alex Van Samang now coaches the men鈥檚 basketball program and Chris Sargeant is in charge of the women鈥檚 soccer program.
J.F. Plouffe also stepped in as the acting athletic director, with women鈥檚 basketball coach Dany Charlery serving as associate athletic director.
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Smith on top as BFL champ
Squamish鈥檚 Cole Smith came into Battlefield Flight League鈥檚 pro bantamweight title on Oct. 29 as the challenger to Chilliwack鈥檚 Jamie Siraj.
He hardly looked it though, as he had Siraj in a firm chokehold when the referee stopped the fight in the fourth round of the main event on the card for Battlefield Fight League #46.
Smith had returned for the fight from Thailand where he was competing professionally. He had won in BFL at the amateur level before but came in with only a 1-0 record professionally in the circuit.
From the start, Siraj tried to get Smith onto the mat to grapple. Often, they were pinned against the octagon, with Smith trying to wrestle free. At times, he seemed to be trying to keep Siraj upright and fighting in open space.
He managed to cut Siraj early, though, and between rounds the champ needed constant mopping-up of cuts to his head and a bloody nose. Smith, on the other hand, looked like he had barely been touched.
鈥淚n that first round, I didn鈥檛 follow the game plan,鈥� he said after the fight. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 expecting to choke him... I was expecting to finish with a cut.鈥澨�
One of his coaches suggested a change in tactics mid-fight, so he went after Siraj on the mat and ended up the winner after putting on the chokehold. Overcome with excitement, Smith climbed over the cage and ran into the crowd at Coquitlam鈥檚 Hard Rock Casino to celebrate with fans.
Then with championship belt in hand, he posed for pictures with coaches from The Sound gym and his family.
Another local fighter who trains out of The Sound, Gwyn Berry, also won his fight that night and will be appearing on the next edition of Battlefield Fight League.
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Midgets bring home banner
麻豆社国产and Whistler combined forces to form a midget rep hockey team that brought home a banner from the Sunshine Coast provincials in March.
Playing under the name of the Whistler Winterhawks, the team featured several 麻豆社国产players as well as 麻豆社国产coaches.听
Coaches Mike Borrelli and Tim Knight had put together a team that had a great season, but looked to be in trouble at the provincials when they dropped their first game 9-6 to Coquitlam, a team whom they had beaten in the regional finals only weeks before.听
The team did not give up though. Their fortunes turned in the next game against Alberni Valley. After that, the midgets rattled off wins against Whitehorse, Trail and Smithers before taking on the hosts from the Sunshine Coast in the championships game.听
In a tight-checking final, the Sea to Sky team jumped out to a 1-0 lead before the host team tied it up late in the game. The Squamish-Whistler team then took advantage of a broken play with less than half a minute left, as Finn Withey fired a puck into the back of the hosts鈥� net to seal up the championship.
The team had come into the provincials having lost only five games during the year, and they had faced three of the teams in the provincials at some point, so they travelled to the Sunshine Coast feeling prepared for the challenge.
鈥淲e always thought we had a chance of winning the tournament,鈥� Borrelli said.听
While falling short of provincial banners, Squamish鈥檚 rep teams for bantam, peewee and atom also put together strong seasons and post-seasons.
Dunham wins Burke Award
When she was younger, Ava Dunham would see her idol, the late Sarah Burke, at ski camps at Whistler, and even now Dunham still makes sure she wears a 鈥淏elieve in Sarah Forever鈥� headband when she is competing.
It seemed fitting the local freestyle skier was picked as one of two recipients of an Up and Coming Award from the Sarah Burke Foundation in January. The $7,500 award is to help the young skier with her training and expenses.
For the 2016 scholarships, 62 athletes applied from all over. The scholarships are given to winter sport athletes under 18 years of age.听
鈥淭hey come in from all over the world, and they鈥檙e really amazing kids,鈥� said Sarah Burke鈥檚 mother Jan Phelan, who sits on the selection jury.听
Along with her strong academic performance, Dunham鈥檚 athletic ability was a factor in the scholarship. She had taken part in Timber Tour and B.C. Winter Games competitions, qualified for junior nationals in 2015 and won medals at competitions such as the 2014 and 2015 at Apex, Silver Star, Mount Washington and Whistler-Blackcomb. Her community work with the Community Cares Christmas program, fundraising for the Terry Fox Foundation and mentoring young skiers in the Spring Slayerz camp were also considered.
This past year, Dunham was sidelined from a couple of injuries, including one to her tailbone in a competition shortly after she won the scholarship. She suffered another injury in June, but was back on skis for training by August, and through the fall was preparing for competitions starting with events at Apex in January 2017.
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